Category: recipes

I came up with this recipe on a whim when I was living in Spain and the gas lighter for my stove stopped working suddenly. I tried using a cigarette lighter, but I just ended up burning my fingers so I gave up and resolved to just bake my lunch instead. Shortly after I made this dish, my roommate successfully used the cigarette lighter to light the stove. Needless to say, I felt slightly embarrassed as I explained my earlier woes. She attempted to teach me, but I accidentally burnt my fingers yet again. Has anyone else ever had trouble with this or am I just seriously challenged? Anyway, back to the recipe. First, I decided to do a version of baked eggplant in tomato sauce. When it was finished, I looked at the dish and decided it would be even more delicious with some eggs on top. I added eggs, popped it backed into the oven, and voila—a paleo eggplant frittata was born. For those of you with food sensitivities, the recipe is gluten-free, nut-free and dairy-free. And, if you’re wondering where to buy spices and seasonings, I usually purchase Simply Organic or order them bulk from Mountain Rose Herbs.

Paleo Eggplant Frittata (Gluten-free & Dairy-free)

Serves: 2

Total Prep Time: 5 min

Total Cook Time: 40 min

Ingredients:

1 (32-ounce) jar Tomato Puree or Tomato Sauce

1 medium-sized Eggplant

½ tsp. Garlic Powder

½ Onion Powder

¼ tsp. dried Basil

¼ tsp. dried Oregano

1/8 tsp. Black Pepper

2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 eggs

Himalayan Pink Salt (or Sea Salt)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Cut eggplants into thin circular slices. Pour just enough tomato puree or sauce to cover bottom of baking dish. Arrange one layer of eggplant slices and sprinkle with salt. Then drizzle olive oil on top. Pour more tomato sauce or puree. Then arrange an additional layer of eggplant slices on top and sprinkle with salt and drizzle with olive oil. Keep repeating until you’ve used all the eggplant. Cover final layer of eggplant with tomato sauce or puree and then add basil, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and oregano. Put baking dish in oven for 30 minutes or until eggplant is cooked and tomato sauce thickens. Remove dish from oven and turn off oven. Crack two eggs and pour evenly on top. Put dish back into oven for approximately 1 minute. If you want the eggs more cooked, leave dish in oven for additional minute. Remove dish and let cool. Cut your eggplant frittata as desired and serve.

With simple, healthy and unprocessed meals in mind, I’ve included my favorite pancake recipe below. I’ve made these pancakes for friends on various occasions. And, while I personally enjoy them with a small amount of Grade B (dark amber) maple syrup drizzled on top, one friend has told me that they’re “so good they don’t need anything!” You can be the judge of that.

Makes: 7 or 8 small pancakes

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Total Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup raw macadamia nuts or 2 tbsp. macadamia nut butter

1 egg

1 very ripe small banana

Coconut oil (for pan)

Equipment:

Food processor

Directions:

Pour cup of macadamia nuts into food processor and process until the nuts turn into a smooth butter. This should take no more than 2 minutes.

If you already have macadamia nut butter, you can skip this step. Peel banana and mash with fork. Mix 2 tablespoons of macadamia nut butter with banana and add egg. Grease pan with coconut oil and heat to medium-high heat. Pour large spoonful of batter into pan and let cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Observe the edges for a good indicator of when to flip. Once you flip, let other side cook for another 30-45 seconds. You can drizzle them with honey or maple syrup or eat as is. They’re so good that you don’t need any toppings. For variation, you can replace macadamias with nut of choice or add fresh blueberries to the batter.

If you haven’t already noticed, Alaskan salmon is one of my favorite foods. Seriously, I could eat it everyday, and sometimes that’s exactly what I do…for however long my supply lasts. I usually order bulk from Vital Choice Seafood. Their salmon is extremely fresh and the quality is amazing. For fellow salmon lovers, here’s another recipe for you.

Serves 2

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

For Salmon:

2 fillets of Wild Alaskan Sockeye Salmon

¼ tsp. sea salt

2 tsp. coconut aminos

½ tsp. raw organic honey

1 tbsp. organic unrefined coconut oil

For Cauliflower Rice:

1 large square of cheesecloth

1 head of cauliflower

¼ tsp. salt

3 tsps. coconut aminos

¼ tsp. black pepper

3 carrots

½ red bell pepper

½ yellow onion

1 small zucchini

3 cloves of garlic

1 tsp. organic unrefined coconut oil

For Salad:

organic romaine lettuce

¼ cup organic cherry tomatoes

1 small organic cucumber

1 tbsp. olive oil

¼ tsp. sea salt

¼ tsp. garlic powder

¼ tsp. basil powder

1/2 lemon

¼ tsp. black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325F. Wash salmon and pat dry. Next, spread honey and then coconut aminos onto both fillets. Sprinkle with salt. Arrange fillets into baking dish and place dish into oven. Baste fillets with honey and coconut aminos at 4 minute intervals. Bake for a total of about 12 minutes. Fillets will flake when cooked.

For the salad, wash the romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and cucumber. Chop the cucumber and cherry tomatoes. Add all ingredients to a salad bowl. Season the salad with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and basil. Add olive oil, squeeze juice of half of a lemon, and mix well.

For the cauliflower “rice,” place one head of cauliflower into food processor. Process cauliflower until it turns into fine pieces resembling grains of rice. Remove cauliflower from food processor and place in cheesecloth. Squeeze until all the excess water is removed. Place into a bowl and let sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. You might have to squeeze the cauliflower into cheesecloth once more if you notice water in the bowl. Chop onions, garlic, red pepper, zucchini and carrots. Add coconut oil to pan at medium heat. Once the coconut oil gets hot, add onions and carrots. When the carrots soften, add garlic and red pepper. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Once the veggies are sautéed for about 7 to 8 minutes, add cauliflower “rice” and coconut aminos. Sauté until cauliflower is cooked through.

Cooking is one of my favorite pastimes. On a normal day, I just think of something that I’m craving and use my imagination to create a dish. When I’m in the mood for something different, I look at photos for inspiration. On other occasions, I find recipes and adapt them to fit my taste preferences and nutritional needs. These gluten-free and paleo recipes are for the health conscious–and curious–eaters who want simple meals that taste great.

Wash both salmon fillets and pat dry with paper towel. Next, season the fillets with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and basil. Then, add apple cider vinegar and water to pan on low heat. When the mixture begins to simmer, add the fillets to pan skin side down. Place cover on top of pan and let the fillets cook for about 7 minutes.

For the salad, rinse the Mesclun lettuce, cilantro and cherry tomatoes. Chop the cilantro into small pieces and the cherry tomatoes into halves. Add all ingredients to a salad bowl. Season the salad with garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Add olive oil and mix well. Arrange the salad onto plates and place fillets on top of salad. Chop avocado, sprinkle with salt, and place on top of fillets. Dinner is served.